An Islamist Trojan Horse in the Pentagon? Why should anyone be surprised? Muzzamil Siddiqui has attended White House prayer breakfasts; Omar Ahmad has been on airport security panels; the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has been advising border patrol agents and FBI agents for years. Why should anyone be surprised?

And who is the Trojan Horse? His name is Hesham S. Islam, not Sergeant John Stryker; he was born in Egypt; not in Gun Blast, Texas; he is involved with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), not with the Sons of Katie Elder. ISNA is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, not of the National Rifle Association. He reads the Qur’an, not Dianetics; he spends more time in a mosque than at Joe’s Bar and Grille and Gun Club; if asked who the three little pigs were—if he didn’t say Larry, Moe and Curly—it would probably be Britney, Paris and Lindsey. Eliot Ness would have used him as an informer, not as a trusted aid. He would not have been on General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s staff in World War Two. If anything, given his country of origin, he would have been advising Haj Muhammad Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. Remember the Grand Mufti? The British were looking for the Grand Mufti back in those days. He had been accused of engaging in terrorist activities in Palestine. That was before the creation of Israel. Not much has changed.

There are some questions about Hesham's bio—whether some of it happened as he said it did or if it happened at all. He was scarcely Opie’s age when he survived an Israeli bombing of Cairo. That could have had a negative effect on his life—if it had happened. Then he went to Iraq and joined the Merchant Marine. That was not a smart move. One of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s submarines—or maybe it was a fatwa—sank Hesham’s ship in the Arabian Sea. He wasn’t stuck in a lifeboat as long as Eddie Rickenbacker and he didn’t have to eat sea urchins but he did get wet—so he has said. After that he immigrated to the United States to join a real Navy. He worked his way up. He served 20 years—not as long as Bull Halsey or John McCain but longer than John Kerry or Jane Fonda. And he found friends in high places—very high places.

When Gordon England was appointed 72^nd and then 73^rd Secretary of the Navy in 2001 and 2003 and later 23^rd Deputy Secretary of Defense in 2006, he needed all the help he could get. His was a controversial appointment. He had absolutely no military experience. But not to worry—given the typical Republican businessman’s mindset—there wasn’t much difference between running a savings and loans and a ten-million-man military establishment. If Daddy Warbucks could do it, so could England. Now Daddy Warbucks might have been saddled with Little Orphan Annie but he had the Asp and Punjab to fall back on, England landed Hesham Islam among others. And Islam has been credited with masterminding the firing of the toughest, no-nonsense, anti-terrorist customer in the Pentagon, Major Stephen Coughlin.

England has grown close to Islam—the man and the religion and he has said some incredibly silly things. Daddy Warbucks would have taken note and would have sent the Asp after him.

“There is no contradiction between the peaceful religion of Islam and American values and principles,” he said. And where did England make this precocious statement—was it over boilermakers with Sergeant John Stryker in Joe’s Bar and Grille and Gun Club? No. It was made before a conference of the Islamic Society of North America in September 2006. If there is no contradiction between the position of women in Islam and the position of women in America than someone needs a refresher course in the US Constitution and a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield. England is not the reincarnation of Edwin M. Stanton—he may be the reincarnation of George B. McClellan minus the military expertise.

ISNA was established in 1963 by the Muslim Students Association of the US and Canada. Stephen Schwartz, a noted scholar and expert on Islam, has testified that ISNA is “one of the chief conduits through which the radical Saudi form of Islam passes into the United States.” Extremists have seized control of “more than 80 percent of the mosques in the United States.” Senators Charles Grassley (R-IO) and Max Bacchus (R-MT) of the Senate Committee on Finance listed ISNA as one of 25 American Muslim organizations that ‘finance terrorism and perpetuate violence.” Is this contradiction between American values and principles too subtle for England to grasp?

The Muslim Brotherhood has identified ISNA as a likeminded organization who shares the common goal of destroying America and turning it into a Muslim nation. ISNA has supported Sami al-Arian and the Holy Land Foundation. Maybe England doesn’t read inter-office memos.

Though it is not part of his job description, England has done much to promote Islam in the military. In fact, he has moved far beyond a helping hand to advocacy. In June 2006 he personally dedicated a mosque at the Quantico Marine Corps base in Virginia. He delivered a little speech in which he praised Islam’s contribution to America’s military successes dating back to World War One. He didn’t mention Thomas Jefferson or James Madison and the war against the Barbary Pirates. There are approximately 4,000 Muslims serving in the US Military today—fewer than fought against American sailors and marines at Tripoli and Derna 200 years ago. At last count there were 426 Muslims in the USMC with 24 at Quantico. The latter now have a place to pray until a bigger and better mosque is built in 2009. Would England have built a place of worship for the Branch Davidians? Would he have done it for the Doukhobors…for the Albigensis? Would he have done it for anybody but Muslims? Asp, sharpen your knife!

The mastermind behind the Quantico mosque was Muslim chaplain Abuhena Mohammed Saifulislam. Abuhena is another Muslim success story. He migrated to the States from Bangladesh in 1995. He received his advanced education at the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Science at Leesburg, Virginia—a school that was raided by federal agents shortly after 9/11. One of Saifulislam’s teachers was Taha Jaber Al-Alwani. This fine upstanding Muslim version of Mr. Chips allegedly donated $50,000 to support the families of suicide bombers. He was also an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Sami al-Arian trial.

Saifulislam was the first Muslim chaplain assigned to Gitmo. He preceded James Yeo. He did his work well. Thanks to his efforts, the Muslim detainees at Gitmo have a menu of 113 Muslim-approved meals to choose from. The guards—well, they can eat hardtack. Saifulislam has been given the Red Carpet treatment at Gitmo and elsewhere. What does he know that nobody else knows? Gordon England personally promoted Saifulislam from lieutenant to lieutenant Commander. The ceremony was said to have been unprecedented. It was as if Donald Rumsfeld had gone to Camp Swampy to personally promote Beetle Bailey to Corporal. It doesn’t happen. George C. Marshall didn’t do it. Ulysses S. Grant didn’t do it. England should not have done it. He would never have done the same for Father Mulcahy.

Gullible? That may not be a strong enough word to describe England. In his speech to ISNA, he said, “While military action against those extremists who do others harm is a necessary part of that resolve—it is not sufficient. Another important part of the solution is clearly demonstrating, and making known in no uncertain terms, that there is no contradiction between the peaceful religion of Islam and America’s values and principles…You, my friends, are the shining example for the rest of the world.”  Was that George C. Marshall addressing the graduates of Luftflotte 4? No, it was Gordon England.

Donald Rumsfeld was on the way to losing the war in Iraq when he resigned; Gordon England is losing the war at home. Ulysses S. Grant had John A. Rawlins—they didn’t come any better, no one was more dedicated to Grant and to America than Rawlins. Tsar Nicholas had Rasputin. Gordon England has Hesham Islam and Abuhena Saifulislam and he sees no contradiction between them and America’s freedoms. Abraham Lincoln would not have tolerated Clement Vallandigham serving on Ulysses S. Grant’s staff and neither would have Grant. George W. Bush knows what he has in Gordon England. It is time to throw the bum out—unless, of course, England is doing the job Bush wants done. In that case it may well be too late for anything but the Asp and Punjab.

Geert Wilders had a point: “If I had announced that I was going to make a film about the fascist character of the Bible would there have been a crisis meeting of Holland’s security forces?” Wilders had just announced that his 10-minute film would be postponed for two weeks and that Dutch authorities had ordered him to leave the country.

A ten-minute film about the fascist character of the Bible…hasn’t that been done by CCN or by Ted Turner or somebody at the UN? Seems like one is aired every night. No one has called the cops. There have been no bomb threats. Bill Maher’s anti-Christian rants last longer than 10 minutes. Between Real Time and the Playboy Mansion, he’s spent more time abusing Christ than Herod and Judas Iscariot did combined.

Suppose someone did propose a 10-minute film about fascism in the Bible who would be the narrator? Got to have a narrator. Bill Maher? Rosie O’Donnell? Would bin Laden be invited to the Premier? Got to have be a Premier. Would Bill Clinton apologize for the behavior of Mother Teresa? There would have to be an apology. Who would be the first dhimmi at CNN or MSNBC to insist that there are many versions of Christianity and that Opie Taylor and Potsy Weber shouldn’t be confused with …with…ah, Tim McVegh or…or…Eric Rudolph…yes, Eric Rudolph…don’t want to tar all Christians with the David Koresh brush.

Columbia and Berkeley would probably snap up the film for its freshmen indoctrination programs. Chances are an Obama or Hillary administration would show it to the FBI and the CIA. It’s time they took a closer look at who they are hiring in this War on Terrorism. Tighten up those screening procedures…some of those fuzzy-cheeked applicants might have belonged to the Catholic League while in college or worse…been a Promise Keeper. Can’t take chances with national security.

Would the Vatican protest—warn the producers not to show the film under penalty of excommunication? Would they get Ibrahim Hooper’s backing?

Wilders, 44, continued: “Would I have received as many death threats as I have done since announcing I was making a film about the Koran?” Of course not! He would be praised for his bravery; invited on The View; they would name a faculty lounge at Berkeley in his honor. Half the US Congress would say they might disagree with what he says but would defend to the death his right to say it—unless he used the N word or was insensitive to some minority group (list available on request).

Iran has warned the Netherlands what will happen if the Dutch are so foolish as to air the Wilders film. “The Iranian parliament will request to reconsider our relationship with it (the Netherlands),” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Majlis National Security. Iran is currently reconsidering relationships with the United States, Israel, Australia, Denmark, Lower Slobbobvia, Shangrila…

“In Iran, insulting Islam is a very sensitive matter and if the movie is broadcast it will arouse a wave of popular hatred that will be directed towards any government that insults Islam.” Succinct! Let’s see…Pim Fortuyn insulted Islam; Submission insulted Islam; Theo van Gogh insulted Islam; Salman Rushdie insulted Islam; the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons insulted Islam; the rondellhund insulted Islam; Kafirs gnawing on pork rinds insult Islam; women in miniskirts insult Islam; ringing church bells insult Islam. It is easy to insult Islam. Muslims are the most sensitive and most easily insulted people in the world and also the most tolerant and peaceful—and that is why every offender of Islam is given a day in court except during waves of popular hatred.

In Afghanistan a journalist who insulted Islam has been sentenced to death. He had questioned the Islamic marriage bed. Why should Muslim men be allowed four wives and Muslim women only one husband he asked? Would an American Horace Greeley have dared to ask Mitt Romney that question? Muslim clerics were humiliated—to suggest that a Muslim man couldn’t satisfy four women—with appropriate separate rooms—would be to question his fitness for the 72 virgins awaiting his expertise in Allah’s Great Whorehouse in the Sky. Is it any wonder that the Court’s decision was immediately praised by the Afghan parliament?

In Pakistan, Muslim men are abducting and killing Christian boys, not because of hatred though that is part of it, but to harvest their body parts for sale on the black market. In Saudi Arabia, a Nigerian woman was beheaded for drug trafficking in the holy city of Mecca. It’s a dark side to something.

Meanwhile in Washington DC, Floris van Hovell, spokesperson for the Dutch Embassy said, “The government is taking the announcement of this movie quite seriously. Obviously, because the movie hasn’t been made, we cannot say anything about the movie until the movie has been shown, but the message Mr. Wilders has told us he wants to portray is disturbing.” But not as disturbing as murdering young Christian boys for their body parts or beheading drug traffickers in Mecca? Right?

Maybe it is Wilders. “I believe our culture is much better than the retarded Islamic cultures,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of the intolerance in the world comes back to the Islamic religion and the Koran.”

Well—sure, if one counts organ harvesting, honor killings, church burnings, suicide bombings and female genital mutilation, but Bill Maher knows about all this, doesn’t he?